The Plans of Man...

Last night I emailed my director and assistant principal letting them know what my plans were this week for work.  I indicated that today we'd be at the hospital but barring any setbacks I'd work the rest of the week...Oh how things change...

Today Cash spent 8 hours connected to the machine to run the test on his kidneys and about 2 hours into the test our doctor came by and indicated that his hemocrit's have dropped below the safe zone.  Tomorrow at 8:00 Cash has a 4 hour transfusion (the first of many I imagine) and then he'll also have the NG tube installed because they are concerned he's not getting enough nutrition.  The tube will go into his nose and will run down into his stomach.  We'll be able to give him his meds this way and he'll have a backpack/pump that will administer about 4 cans of Pediasure each day.

So that's tomorrow, then on Wednesday he has two PT appointments and then we'll be trained on how to use the pump.  Before connecting the pump or administering meds, we'll have to check if the tube is in the right place by injecting a bit of air into the tube and then using a stethoscope, listen for the bubbles in his stomach.  In addition we have to draw the fluids up the tube to make sure it's in the right place. 

I think Jack Jr. really thinks I'm a doctor now - he's been watching me put on gloves and flush the lines, give Cash a shot, and today we did a dressing change on the Hickman.  Now with the stethoscope I'll complete the 'Doctor' look in his eyes - I liked playing doctor as a kid but this is ridiculous...:-)

The doctors also expect his levels to rise sometime this week and Cash will have one more surgery to install a port in his leg.  They will keep us overnight and the next day he'll be hooked up once again to draw his good stem cells, which will be used later on in the treatment (referred to as 'consolidation').  So it appears we'll be in the hospital every day this week, just in time to recover and start the second round of chemo.

Needless to say, my plans don't mean much but I'm very thankful that Bro. Doug (Zion's Director) for giving me the time I need to help Cash through this.

We had a brief but important visit today from Bishop Drayton and Mother Drayton - Bishop was responsible for the vision behind Zion and a little over two years ago he prayed over Wendi that she would conceive - two weeks later she was pregnant so his prayer today for healing was powerful.  Cash is a miracle baby and we continue to trust that he will be healed.

My prayer tonight is not only for Cash, but for Coleson Brink who is also at Children's on an extended stay due to his levels being low.  Today while we were walking around with Cash we were saddened by all of the other children with cancer receiving treatments - it can be easy to see the hospital as a sad place, but I am preferring to see it as the place where kids go to get better...